Police probe worker's shooting of suspected robber

PATERSON (AP) ó Authorities are still deciding whether any charges will be filed against a Paterson bodega employee who shot and critically wounded a robbery suspect this week.

City police tell The Record that the employee used a legally registered and permitted gun in Tuesday nightís shooting. They are now reviewing the matter with Passaic County prosecutors, and itís not clear when a decision on possible charges will be made.

Authorities say the wounded man, 23-year-old Jermaine Eason of Paterson, remained hospitalized Friday afternoon. He is a suspect in nearly a dozen similar robberies that have occurred in the Paterson area in recent days.

Eason and another man allegedly waved handguns while robbing the store. When they tried to flee, the employee got his gun and shot Eason on a sidewalk.